Clasp.



No. 836,957. v PATENTED NOV. 27, '1906.

L. S. ALEXOVITS.

CLASP.

APPLIOATIQN FILED 11m24.190s.

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LEONARD S. ALEXOVITS, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

CLASP.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 27, 1906.

Application filed May 24,1906. Serial No. 318,541.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEONARD S. ALExovrTs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Clasp, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a simple and inexpensive clasp adapted for general use either upon light or heavy articles of clothing, as upon stocking-supporters and upon Suspenders to hold trousers and drawers, either or both, the clasp being adapted to take a iirm hold upon a large surface of the garment to be held and to grip it firmly, but without puncturing or tearing it.

With these and other objects in view I have devised the novel clasp of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, reference characters being used to indicate the several parts.

In the drawings I have illustrated a clasp especially adapted for use upon heavy garments. It should be understood, however, that this type of clasp is equally adapted for use upon lighter garments, as upon a stocking-supporter, the only difference being that for use upon trousers and other heavy garments the jaws are made relatively heavy, and for use upon lighter garments, as upon stockings, the jaws are made relatively lighter and lie closer together in the closed position.

. Figure 1 is a plan view of my novel clasp in the closed position; Fig. 2, an edge view corresponding therewith, except that shoul ders upon the jaws are omitted; Fig. 3, an edge view corresponding with Fig. 1, the jaws being in the open position; Fig. 4, a longitudinal section on the line 4 4 in Fig. 1, Fig. 5, a plan view illustrating a slightly-variant form, the jaws being in the closed position 5 and Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section on the line 6 6 in Fig. 5.

10 denotes the upper jaw, and 11 the lower jaw, said jaws being pivoted at their rear ends upon an elongated eye or loop 12, to which thetextile web (not shown) is attached. The jaws are normally thrown to the open position, as in Fig. 3, by means of a spring 13, which is coiled about the pivotal portion of the eye and whose ends engage the jaws, respectively, and act to separate them. The shape of the jaws may be varied in accordance lwithk'the special use to which the claspA is applied. The shanks of the jaws lie paral lel with each other, and their forward ends are curved to substantially a horseshoe form and provided with correspondingly-inclined operative faces, as at 23, the lower jaw being smaller than the upper jaw and closing within it, as clearly shown.

In Fig. 1 I have shown the inner jaw as curving inward slightly and lying separated from the outer jaw at the point of intersection of the curved portion with the shanks, as at 14, and in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 I have shown the jaws as provided with shoulders 15 on their contiguous faces. These inward curves and shoulders may ormay not be used, as preferred. The object of the inward curve is to provide for receiving a fold cfa heavy garment, and the object of the shoulders is to provide a tighter grip, if required, upon a garment.

16 denotes a slide which comprises crosspieces 17, which engage the under side of the lower jaw and move longitudinally thereon, and eyes 18, which extend upward between the Shanks of the jaws and above the upper J 19 denotes a cam which extends transversely within the eyes' and bears upon the upper side of the upper jaw, and 20 denotes an operating-lever which is rigidly secured to or formed integral with the cam.

24 denotes stops upon the upper jaw, which limit the forward movement of the cam and prevent the slide and cam from becoming detached from the jaws.

In the form illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, the operating-lever is made relatively long and in the closing position lies in engagement with loop 12.

In the form illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 the operating-lever is made relatively short and in the closing position bears upon a crosspiece 21, extending transversely between the Shanks of the lower jaw. The shanks of the upper jaw are preferably provided near their pivotal point with depressions 22, which receive the cam in the open position, as clearly shown in Fig. 3'. 1

The operation will be clearly understood from the drawings. To attach the clasp to a garment, the slide is moved toward the pivotal point of the Shanks untilthe cam rests in the depressions, which permits the spring to throw the jaws to the open position, as' in Fig. 3. It should be understood, however, that the depressions are not an essential feature of construction and may be omitted, if preferred, the necessity for the depressions depending upon the width of the j aw-shanks and their configurations. In Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, I have shown the forward ends of the jaws as curved slightly toward each other. This likewise is a feature of construction that may or may not be adopted, as preferred. When the jaws are in the open position, the operator passes the edge or a fold of the garment or garments to be held., as trousers and drawers, either or both, or a stocking between them. The slide is then moved forward until the jaws are closed upon the garment or garments, and then the operatingvlever is turned downward to the closing position, the effect of which is to cause the jaws to grip the garment held between them with great power. l/Vhen the operating-lever is turned from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in the other figures, the

outer edge of the cam will bear upon the inner faces of eyes 18, which will draw the crosspieces against the under side of the shanks of the lower jaw, and the inner edge of 'the cam will bear upon the upper side of the shanks of the upper jaw, thus closing the jaws firmly together. To release the garment, it is simply required to raise the operating-lever and then move the slide backward to the position shown in Fig. 3, which permits the spring to throw the jaws to the open position. The spring, however, is not an essential' feature, as the device is perfectly operative without it.

Having thus described my invention, -I claiml. A clasp comprising jaws pivoted together at their rear ends, a slide adapted to move on said jaws and a cam carried by the slide and bearing upon one of the jaws whereby the jaws are closed together.

2. A clasp comprising jaws pivoted together at their rear ends, a slide adapted to move on said jaws and comprising eyes and cross-pieces bearingupon one jaw, and a cam engaging the eyes and the other jaw whereby said. jaws are closed together.

3. A clasp comprising jaws pivoted together at their rear ends, a slide adapted to move on said jaws, and comprising eyes and cross-pieces bearing upon one jaw, and a cam engaging the eyes and the other jaw and provided with an operating-lever, substantially as described for the purpose specified.

4. A clasp comprising jaws pivoted together at their rear ends, the shanks thereof lying parallel, their forward ends being curved to substantially horseshoe form, one jaw lying within the other and both of said jaws ha ving c orrespondingly-inclined faces, a slide adapted to move on said jaws and a cam carried by the slide and bearing upon one of the jaws whereby the jaws are closed together.

5. A clasp comprising jaws pivoted together at their rear ends, and having correspondingly-inclined operative faces, a slide adapted to move on said jaws, and a cam carried by the slide whereby the jaws are closed together.

6. A clasp comprising jaws pivoted together at their rear ends and having correspondingly-inclined faces and shoulders l5 on their contiguous faces, a slide adapted to move on said jaws and a cam carried by the slide whereby the aws are closed together.

7. A clasp comprising jaws pi voted together at their rear ends, and ha ving correspondingly curved and inclined operative faces, the under jaw lying within the upper jaw and being curved inward away from the inner jaw at the rear end of a curved portion, for the purpose set forth, a slide adapted to move on said jaws and a cam carried by the slide whereby the jaws are closed together.

8. vA clasp comprising jaws pivoted together at their rear ends, a spring acting to throw the jaws to the open position, a slide adapted to move on said jaws kand a cam carried by the slide whereby the jaws are closed together.

9. A clasp comprising upper and lower jaws pivoted together at their rear ends, the sides of lthe upper jaw being provided with depressions near the pivotal point, a slide adapted to move on said jaws and a cam carried bythe slide and bearing upon the upperl LEONARD S. ALEXOVITS.

Witnesses:

A. M. WoosTER, S.'W. ATHERTON.

IOC 

